In a thrilling bout at UFC 300, Tsarukyan emerged victorious over Charles Oliveira and ended up securing the No. 1 lightweight contender status.
Following their match at UFC 302 on June 1, he will take on the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier.
Despite Tsarukyan’s dominance throughout the match, Judge Mike Bell’s scoring in Round 3 raised eyebrows. Even with Tsarukyan’s relentless ground-and-pound, Bell controversially awarded the round to Oliveira. Tsarukyan expressed his dismay over the decision in an interview after the match with Joe Rogan.
Following the event, revelations surfaced regarding Judge Bell’s actions. Bell was previously embroiled in controversy during the Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko match at Noche UF.
Bell allegedly reached out to Tsarukyan and his team.
Tsarukyan disclosed in a recent interview with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier that Bell had acknowledged his error in judgment.
He said: “He gave the third round to Charles Oliveira. My coach talked to him, and he called my coach and said ‘Sorry, you were right, I shouldn’t have given it to Oliveira.’If I lost this fight, I would’ve killed him. He was going to kill my career! Nonstop training, every day, you think about the fight…training, weight cutting, drama…“
Undeterred by the scoring controversy, Tsarukyan remains focused on his trajectory in the lightweight division. He has four consecutive wins under his belt, including impressive victories over Beneil Dariush and Joaquim Silva. Tsarukyan’s ascent to the top is remarkable.
He now sets his sights on a potential rematch with Makhachev, whom he faced in a closely contested battle in April 2019. In the previous match, the two went the whole distance.
As of now, he has won in nine of his last 10 bouts.
Tsarukyan is probably hoping that Bell won’t be cageside when he compete for the lightweight belt as he gets ready for his next UFC title shot.